Moving spiral stairway or elevator.



PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

L. G. SOUDER. MOVING SPIRAL STAIRWAY 0R ELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OCT. 25,1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

PATENTED JUNE 20, 1905.

L. G. SOUDER. MOVING SPIRAL STAIRWAY ORELEVATOR.

APPLICATION FILED OOT. 25,1904.

2 SHBETB-BHEET 2.

:s A ZMM?/ @a UNITED STATES Patented June 20, 1905.

; ATENT OFFICE.

LEAMON G. SOUDER, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 792,623, dated June 20,1905.

Application filed October 25,1904. Serial No. 229,922.

To (all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, LEAMON G. Somme, a citizen of the United States,residing at the city of Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin b Ioving Spiral Stairways or Elevators, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention has relation to a moving stairway or elevator, and in suchconnection it relates more particularly to an improvement upon themoving stairway and elevator illustrated and described in United StatesLetters Patent No. 723,325, granted to me under date of March 2&, 1903,the present improvements residing in sectional risers constituting, inconjunction with segmental treads, the stairway or elevator adapted toascend or descend in spiral courses in step-like form and to be flexed,so as to assume a belt-like form in a horizontal plane.

The principal object of my invention is to provide in a moving stairwayor elevator a divided or sectional riser, each section of which ishinged to a tread and both sections pivotally connected with each otherat one end to allow the risers to open when the treads and risers areflexed in band-like form, so as to move in a substantially straight pathand to close when the treads and risers are flexed to assume a step-likeform, so as to move in a spiral path.

The nature and scope of my present invention will be more fullyunderstood from the following description, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawings, forming part hereof, in which Figure l is a topor plan view of a portion of a moving spiral stairway or elevator, oneportion of the treads and risers of which being shown as flexed toassume a step-like form, so as to move in a spiral path, and anotherportion being shown as flexed to assume a beltlike form, so as to movein a straight or substantially straight path, the whole so arrangedembodying main features of my said invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view,enlarged, illustrating in top or plan view the segmental treadsconnected by divided or sectional risers, wings, and clips connectedwith one section of each of the risers and a railing arranged on each ofthe treads. Fig. 3 is a front elevational view of Fig. 2, and Fig. I isa central sectional view of one of the segmental treads.

Referring to the drawings, a is a tread of segmental shape in plan, andb a riser consisting of two sections 5 and 5 each of which, by means ofhinges t, is movably connected with a segmental tread a. The sections Z)and b at their outer ends are pivotally connected with each other by ahinge Z) to permit the same to open and to close in a manner as shown,for example, in Figs. 1 and 2. A series of alternate treads a and risers7) form the steps of the moving stairway, which may be flexed into beltform or step form by means not shown. Each of the treads a is providedat'its outer end with a roll or wheel a, riding on a rail 0, and at itsinner end with a roll (0 engaginga channel-iron (Z, secured to a drum 0,which forms the guide for the roll (0 for a purpose fully described inmy previous patent, No. 723,325. In addition to the roll a each tread ais provided with a downwardlyprojecting arm a carrying a roller (6*,which by engaging the channel-iron (Z assists in holding the tread a ina horizontal position when ascending or descending a spiral path, asshown in the upper portion of Fig. 1. When, however, the treads a aremoved over a straight portion arranged at the upper and lower landingsof the spiral stairway, (partially shown in the lower part of Fig. 1,)the same are supported, preferably, by rollers (0 carried by brackets a,secured to the under side of the tread a, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4. Therisers 6, however, are supported by rollers f, preferably secured to thehinge 6*, which in the spiral path of the stairway travel on the rail 0.Secured to the shaft a of each of the rollers a and in front of the sameis arranged a grip g for a cable it, which is adapted to actuate thetreads a and risers b, flexed into steplike form over the spiral pathshown in the upper part of Fig. 1. When in step-like form, the sectionalriser t is closed. Its sections 6 and o abut against each other, asshown at 72 in Fig. 1. In this closed position the sections arestiffened and held in alinement with each other in addition to the hinge6* by a clip 71, secured to the section If, and a wing 72, secured tothe section 7) and engaging a guidepiece 7 1, secured to the section 7/,as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. In the step-like form the risers Z) assume avertical position so as to permit the treads (t to travel around thedrum 0. If, however, the straight portion at of a landing is reached,the treads a and risers 7) are stretched out into a belt-like formbefore reaching such portion, as shown in Fig. 1. In this instance therisers are first flexed from a vertical position to a horizontalposition and are held closed, as shown at 7) in Fig. 1. The more therisers Z) approach the substantial straight portion (0 of the stairwaythe more the same will open to permit the treads c to be guided to andtravel in a substantially straight path. When the treads It and risers bhave reached the substantially straight portion a the sections 7/ and 7/of the risers 7; will have opened to their fullest extent. The openingsso formed are partially closed or bridged by the wings 71". If a personshould remain standing on a tread (a when the same is traveling in astraight path, the railing at will prevent the person so standingthereon stepping into the opening beyond the wing 7r, because therailing is arranged to follow the outline of the tread a up to the wing7 and curves or is rounded at the inner end of the tread, as illustratedin Fig. 2. Each of the treads a, in addition to the wheel a, is providedwith a wheel a carried by a bracket to". This bracket is secured to theunder side near the inner end of the tread 0,, thereby assisting in thesupporting of the tread in its travel in a spiral path.

Having thus described the nature and object of my invention, what Iclaim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An elevating-conveyer or moving stairway, comprising treads andrisers hinged together, each riser being formed of sections hinged atone end.

2. An elevating-conveyer or moving stairway, comprising treads andrisers hinged together, so as to be flexed into step-like and belt likeform, each of said risers being formed of two sections in pivotalconnection at one end.

3. In an elevating conveyer or moving stairway, a series of treads andrisers hinged together, each of said risers being formed of two sectionshinged at one end so as to permit said treads and risers to travel incurved and substantially straight paths.

4. An elevating-conveyer or moving stairway, comprising treads andrisers hinged together,each of said risers being formed of sectionshinged at one end so as to ciose and open when traveling in respectivelycurved and substantially straight paths, and means adapted to bridge theopening formed between the sections of said. risers.

5. In an elevating conveyer or moving stairway, a series of treads andrisers hinged together, each of said risers being formed of sectionshinged at one end so as to close and open when said treads are travelingin curved and substantially straight paths, means adapted to stiffen thesections of the risers when in a closed position, and one of said meansadapted to bridge the opening formed between the sections of saidrisers.

6. In an elevating conveyer or moving stairway, a series of treads andrisers hinged together, each of said risers being formed of sectionspivotally connected at one end, in combination with a railing arrangedon each of said treads.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature in the presence oftwo subscribing witnesses.

LEAMON G. SOUDER.

Witnesses:

J. WALTER IQoUeLAss, THOMAS M. fiMITH.

